The Fast-Growing Fake ID Industry and Screening Process
The fake ID business is surprisingly growing despite all the efforts to eradicate this practice. As days, months, and years pass, counterfeit ID makers are upgrading and making fraud ID cards more genuine and undetectable in terms of appearance and features. While the mock-up ID industry is growing, the question is: how about the screening process?
Fake IDs have become rampant in many countries, and their top customers are college students who cannot access establishments like bars and purchase alcohol due to their age. They turn to top fake id makers who make fake licenses or other identification cards and edit their age so it will seem like they are of legal age. Many of these counterfeit IDs can pass scanners, and when they are inspected, because of their sophisticated features mimicking genuine IDs, those who check them allow the cardholder. This has also become a major concern for business owners because they are required to comply with ID checking regulations and when they violate these laws, they would either pay a huge fine or, in the worst-case scenario, their business could be closed. To avoid this, establishments and business owners must be strict when doing ID checks.
The fake ID industry has reached a level wherein the IDs can easily pass conventional forms of ID checking. These include visual checking by someone experienced, magnetic stripe swiping, or barcode scanning. In an interview by Forbes with the general manager of a liquor business situated adjacent to a school, the interviewee said that he has not caught or seen many customers using fake IDs. He should not be too sure about that. Fake IDs are everywhere and they can easily pass as a legit ID.
The bottom line is that business owners must advance in terms of ID checking or screening to protect their business. If ID screening technology falls behind, the business is not safe for long.
Why is fake ID spotting so tricky nowadays?
If your business is settling for a visual inspection, even by an expert, then you are putting your business at risk. Even the most expert ID checkers will easily be fooled by fake IDs. Remember that there are many different kinds of IDs, and you need to be familiar with them and the indicators to determine whether they are genuine or fake. If you simply look at the birthdate which is easily edited by fake ID makers, without looking at the nitty gritty, you are inviting fraud into your establishment. Moreover, government IDs usually have regular changes and updates. The United States has about six hundred designs of valid state IDs, and if you settle for a visual inspection, especially by an untrained eye, you are inviting trouble.
If the ID inspector uses a UV light, it does not guarantee anything. What if the person entering the bar comes from another state and you do not know the design of their legal ID?
How about magnetic stripes or barcode scanning?
Even if you have the technology to scan magstripes or barcodes, it still does not address the problem because current fake IDs also have magstripes and barcodes. Fake ID makers have suppliers of these, usually from the black market, and they also have the technology for printing high-quality IDs. Since payment modes are through cryptocurrency and other online methods, the customer’s identity remains anonymous. Fake ID maker sites also offer affordable rates and sometimes discounts when orders are in bulk. Amazingly, these ID makers sometimes have informers from inside agencies to tell them about recent changes in ID features. They are ahead of the field compared to ID screening processes and technology.
Do business owners stand a chance?
With all the fake ID advancements, is there a way to battle against these sophisticated IDs? To be honest, the ID screening processes are lagging, and for now, there is no perfect resolution for catching every counterfeit ID. But there are steps that companies or business owners can take.
First, they must check the ID thoroughly, not only focusing on the written details like the age and name of the cardholder. If you can do two steps in one, like checking visually and then double-checking in the machine, then that’s better. You can also use different kinds of light to check, not just UV but also infrared and white light. Indeed, this is a hassling process, especially when you have a long line out front, but it is better than filling your establishment with illegally aged teens. The staff must undergo training in checking IDs. You must never assign someone in the ID checking area who is inexperienced or untrained.
Another thing you can do is ask for another ID. Asking for another ID will make the cardholder anxious. Since news flies fast, your establishment will be known to be strict in terms of admitting or entertaining customers, and they will for sure avoid any attempts in your establishment. It is better to have a few legit customers than a lot that will put your name and business at stake.
